Pall in the Family by Dawn Eastman

Aug 16, 2013

Pall in the Family by Dawn Eastman is the first book in the new “Family Fortune” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, August 2013

The aptly named Crystal Haven is the destination for tourists seeking psychics, séances, and the promise of contacting the spirit world. In this small western Michigan town, everyone knows the Fortune family. Rose is gifted with tarot card readings. Her sister, Vi, is a self-proclaimed pet psychic. And Rose’s daughter Clyde is.

A cop. A cop on leave from Ann Arbor, more specifically, who’s come home to kooky Crystal Haven to reevaluate her life. Mom and Aunt Vi can’t wait for Clyde to finally embrace her own psychic gifts and join the family business. Clyde would prefer the low-stress lifestyle of a dog walker and the low-key company of her nephew, Seth.

But when a local psychic is killed, leaving behind a traumatized Shih Tzu, it seems to be in the cards for Clyde to get involved. With her old flame Mac leading the investigation, that may prove awkward. Whether she uses her skills as a cop or her long-denied psychic abilities, it’s up to Clyde to divine a killer’s identity before someone else suffers more misfortune.

This is a great read that I devoured from the moment I turned the first page. I love the writing style the author takes to tell us about the happenings in Crystal Haven that includes the return of Clyde and a gift with indecisions and her lovable but quirky family from her parents, especially her mother Rose, to her aunt Vi and to her nephew Seth. Also leading out the cast is her two best friends and the police detective who doesn’t want her involved in his investigation, but when it hits thisclose to home, her mission becomes bringing a killer to justice.

Boasting a good plot with a mystery that quickly became a page-turner and entertaining dialogue that had me giggling at times this was an excellent read and I can’t wait to see what happens next in this exciting debut series. I love discovering new-to-me authors and new series and this one has the makings of being around for a long, long time.